Monitoring the levels of dissolved gasses in waterways and the atmosphere allows scientists to evaluate waterway acidification, oxygenation, and pollution, climate change, and other biological and meteorological conditions. In the past, scientists placed sensors in waterways or in open atmosphere to continuously monitor dissolved gas levels. Membranes that were selectively permeable to the gas under study covered the sensors to protect them from fouling, allowing the gas to diffuse into a cavity for detection by the sensor. Cables connected the sensors to power and data logging units to supply power and record sensed gas levels.
The required physical connection to a central data logger makes distribution of such sensors limited, increasing the costs to cover a large area. Because the sensors attach to a central power source, the sensor runtime is also limited, especially in remote areas which require a battery-based power source. Furthermore, the exposure and visibility of the cables and power and data logging units renders the entire system vulnerable to damage, vandalism, or theft. On a smaller scale, membranes attach over the sensor using bolted, machined frames, which increase the sensor unit size and cost, and often lead to mechanical failure of the sensor unit.
There is an unmet need in the art for a self-contained dissolved gas sensor system.
There is a further unmet need in the art for a dissolved gas sensor system capable of membrane attachment without the use of mechanical frames.